BEAR Walk fair fosters community collaborations

Myrick at BEAR Walk
Lindsay France/Cornell Marketing Group
Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick '09 speaks with students during the third annual BEAR Walk.
Band at BEAR walk
Lindsay France/Cornell Marketing Group
The Cornell Marching Band plays during the BEAR Walk.
Informational tables at BEAR Walk
Lindsay France/Cornell Marketing Group
Students stop at informational tables during the BEAR Walk.

More than 300 people came to Collegetown Tuesday night for the third annual BEAR (Being Engaged and Responsible) Walk, which brought together local residents, students, elected officials and Cornell staff for a communitywide fair.

This year’s goal was twofold: provide students with resources about local support systems and bridge the gap between neighbors and student neighbors by emphasizing the importance of community connection.

While agencies provided information on everything from mental illness to composting and emergency care, the resounding message was one of safety, responsibility and support. Cornell Police urged students to be good neighbors and avert crises by proactively forming connections with fellow Collegetown/Belle Sherman residents. Representatives from such organizations as Planned Parenthood and the Ithaca Fire Department said they felt it was important to be present and show students where to turn if they are in need of help.

“[The goal of the BEAR Walk] is to figure out how we can live respectfully in one neighborhood,” explained Julie Paige, director of the Office of Off Campus and Cooperative Living and chair of the BEAR Walk committee composed of Cornell staff, students, Collegetown business people and city of Ithaca staff.

Tompkins County legislator Rich John ’81 began the official ceremony by calling for a moment of silence for the victims of this past week’s homicide. The community stood together solemnly in commemoration.

“I have to tell you that this has been a remarkably difficult period, a difficult summer and a difficult way to begin the semester,” said Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick ’09. Myrick detailed the challenges of the influx of construction for local business owners and the tragedy of losing Ithaca College student Anthony Nazaire, the first homicide in Ithaca in five years. “We will continue to have challenges, that is the nature of a college town,” he said.

“This area is full of bright, energetic young people and bright, energetic not-so-young people, and that mix of energy, creativity, wisdom and maturity, that vibrancy that we are creating … [shows that] our brighter days are still ahead of us,” Myrick said.

The BEAR Walk fair also celebrated past success. “Tonight’s event – and the whole subject of town-gown connectivity that it represents – is so important to our campus community and to the greater Ithaca community that so many of us call home,” Joel Malina, vice president for university relations, told the crowd. “The vibrancy of Collegetown and the surrounding Bryant Park and Belle Sherman neighborhoods doesn’t come just from new buildings, it comes from supporting and celebrating a neighborhood with unique character and history.”

Student Assembly President Jordan Berger ’17 shared stories of her experiences within the Ithaca community. From food shopping at the Ithaca Farmers Market to forming bonds with residents through dinners sponsored by the Student Assembly Home Plate program, Berger has expanded her college experiences beyond the confines of the university. “They have taught me about the community that I have lived in for the past three years,” she said. “Our years in Collegetown should be the best of our college experience. Through the building of positive relationships I hope that we can create a stronger community together.”

Rebecca Jackson ’18 is a writer intern for the Cornell Chronicle.

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Melissa Osgood